1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an electrical connector, and in particular to a plug connector having at least two terminal support plates for supporting and retaining a large number of contact terminals in a limited space.
2. The Prior Arts
The speed and volume of data transmitted between electronic devices have increased remarkably in recent years. The number of contact terminals of a connector connecting the electronic devices together has also increased for facilitating faster data transmission. The trend of recent computer designs emphasizes minimization, thus the space occupied by a connector on a circuit board should be limited. In order to increase the number of contact terminals in a connector having a single terminal support member defining terminal receiving channels therein, the "density" of the terminals is increased, namely, terminal pitch is reduced. The terminal density, however, cannot be increased unlimitedly. Examples of connectors having a single terminal support member are disclosed in Taiwan patent application Nos. 84112993 and 85203116.
It is thus desirable to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art by adding at least one terminal support member to the connector which allows the number of contact terminals arranged in the connector to be doubled with a limited increase in the overall space occupied by the connector.